Home Remedies for a Dry Sore Throat in the Early Morning Hours

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MICHELLE KULAS Last Updated: Jun 23, 2015

Michelle Kulas

Michelle Kulas worked in the health-care field for 10 years, serving as a certified nurses' assistant, dental assistant and dental insurance billing coordinator. Her areas of expertise include health and dental topics, parenting, nutrition, homeschooling and travel.

Overview

Most sore throats are painful early in the morning, and gradually improve as the day wears on. Some causes of sore throats in the morning include mouth-breathing while you sleep, dry air irritating your mucous membranes and post-nasal drip accumulating in your throat. A viral or bacterial infection may also cause a sore throat. See your doctor if your sore throat gets worse, persists, or if you have a high fever or rash -- these could indicate a more serious problem.

Have Something to Drink

Sometimes simply having something hot or cold to drink can soothe a dry, sore throat. When you wake up, have a cup of tea with honey, a glass of juice or a cup of water. Stir honey and lemon into a mug of hot water. The honey can coat and soothe your throat, and the lemon can remove excess mucus build-up that may be present in the throat.

Use a Humidifier

A humidifier or a cool mist vaporizer can help to alleviate a sore throat caused by inhaling dry air. Your mucous membranes will remain more moist, even if you are breathing through your mouth because of a stuffy nose, if you keep the air humidified. Clean your humidifier regularly to avoid allowing a build-up of molds and bacteria. These can cause illness, and have the potential to make your sore throat worse.

Gargle With Salt Water

Gargle with salt water to soothe and moisturize a sore, dry throat. Stir a maximum of 1 tsp. of salt into a pint of warm water, and gargle with that as often you desire. If you use more salt than recommended, you will dry out your throat more, exacerbating the irritation. Another option is to use an antiseptic mouthwash.

Coat or Numb Your Throat

Sucking on cough drops or hard candy can coat your throat, reducing the irritation and dryness. Since saliva production slows while you sleep, sucking on throat lozenges has the added benefit of stimulating more saliva, which can move irritating mucus out of your throat. If your throat is more sore than dry, sucking on a popsicle or ice cubes can temporarily numb your throat, reducing the pain.

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Nancy Baxi, M.D.

Dr. Nancy Baxi is a board-certified internal medicine physician with 19 years of experience. She is currently a primary care physician at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and an assistant professor of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University and has been an assistant professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine and the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Baxi has been a key clinical educator of medical residents and students. She has a passion for sharing medical knowledge and teaching her patients to empower them, and she has won teaching and patient care awards for her work.